ICIMOD joins the official launch of 2025 International Year for Glaciers’ Preservation

Glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region are rapidly melting. Rikha Samba Glacier. | Photo: Tenzing Chogyal Sherpa, circa October 2024.

Glaciers are disappearing at an alarming rate, threatening water supplies, ecosystems, and millions of livelihoods worldwide. To bring global attention to this crisis, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation (IYGP 2025).

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) joined the global community to officially launch , organised by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), with support from Tajikistan and France. The official curtain-raiser event on 21 January 2025, represented by heads of WMO, UNESCO and Government of Tajikistan, was followed by a series of online events, forming part of the main programme.

The IYGP 2025 draws global attention to the importance of glaciers, snow, and ice in the climate system, as well as the economic, social, and environmental impacts of their loss. It also highlights the crucial role of high mountain areas as key sources of freshwater and ecosystem services for communities around the world.

The IYGP secretariat, led by UNESCO and WMO, coordinates international efforts with support from over 75 organisations and 35 countries. ICIMOD is part of the secretariat as a member of all four Task Forces and the lead of Task Force 2 on International Conferences, Regional Workshops, and Capacity Building.

During the curtain-raiser event, ICIMOD’s Neera Shrestha Pradhan, lead of the Task Force 2, presented the task force’s achievements over the past year. She was also part of the panel discussion on the impact of cryosphere change on the society.

As part of the launch event, ICIMOD in collaboration with regional and international partners hosted three virtual side events highlighting key challenges and opportunities related to glacier preservation and sustainable mountain development.

The first side event was a panel, co-organized by ICIMOD and Asia Pacific Water Forum, on ‘Tackling glacial melt and water challenges in the Hindu Kush Himalaya: A science diplomacy approach for regional cooperation’. The panel highlighted critical inter connection between cryosphere, water security, and the need for regional stability. Participants emphasised that the downstream countries, though far from the glaciers, must be included in discussion on glacial changes and impacts.

The second side event ‘Decades of cryosphere actions in HKH: Moving towards a flagship initiative’ presented the current status of the cryosphere in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), a strategic long-term roadmap for addressing cryosphere-related challenges, opportunities in the region, and highlights of ICIMOD’s cryosphere research over the years.

The third side event, another panel, co-organised with the Task Force 2 and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP), ‘Glaciers at the crossroads: Climate challenges and responses’, discussed innovative solutions for strengthening transboundary and cross-sectoral water cooperation in glacier-fed basins. Participants shared regional insights and discussed cooperative strategies to mitigate the impacts of glacier melt on downstream communities and enhance regional data-sharing for building regional climate resilience strategies.

Additionally, leading up to the IYGP 2025 launch event, Neera Shrestha Pradhan participated as a resource person for the masterclass on ‘Glaciers for journalists’ on 16 January 2025. The session enhanced participating journalists’ understanding of glaciers and expected to improve the accuracy of media reporting on glacier-related topics. The event brought together over 318 media professionals from 64 countries across all continents.

The importance of IYGP 2025 is underscored by the rapid melting of glaciers in the HKH, which threatens water security, increases disaster risks such as Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), and disrupts ecosystems. Despite housing over 54,000 glaciers, only 28 in the region are monitored in situ, leaving critical data gaps. Advancing glacier monitoring, enhancing data-sharing, and increasing funding are essential to protecting vulnerable communities and safeguarding this vital water source for the future.

Chimi Seldon